BLENDERS PRIDE - KEEP THE WORLD GUESSING 

Work for Pernod Ricard at Lowe Lintas

Challenge

Blenders Pride, the leader in the domestic premium whisky segment had created immense aspiration for the brand through ‘The Blenders Pride Fashion Tour’, a series of fashion and lifestyle events*.  However, competition began gaining ground by associating their brand with start-ups which was seen as contemporary and cool. 

Blenders Pride was in danger of losing its younger consumers.

Strategy

Young people see predictability as something old-fashioned and undesirable. In contrast, unpredictability is seen as exciting, provocative and avant garde. This was true for personal style, for careers, for the way young people wanted to be seen. This tied in well with brand ambassador Priyanka Chopra, the actor who had been known for unconventional projects in film, music and business, which had taken her to Hollywood. The idea was captured in a concept ‘Never let them guess your next move’ which evolved seamlessly into the catch-me-if-you can styled ‘Keep the World Guessing’ campaign.

Results

Blenders Pride demonstrated steady growth, growing an impressive 15% to 7 million+ cases between 2017-18. The campaign was also equally successful in Middle Eastern markets. Due to this positive response the campaign was used for two years in a row - a rarity for the brand and industry.

*Alcohol is a dark category in some markets like India. Any advertising through television or social channels is done through surrogates.